Factors Affecting Service Delivery Under Decentralization in Uganda. A Case Study Kigonji In Kabale District
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Date
2012-10
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Kampala International University, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
Uganda’s decentralization process dates back to 1987 when the present government overtook
power through an armed civil war which was waged on the basis of popular civic strengths. The
formal process of decentralization reform took effect in 1993 when government enacted a
revised law facilitating financial and administrative decentralization which was also followed
shortly by another Act which provided for Human resources decentralization. The promulgation
of the 1995 Constitution, of the Republic of Uganda, and the enactment of the Local Government
Act, 1997 further entrenched Decentralization as a main system of local governance
(Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1997).
However, many issues are challenging the decentralization system in Uganda. A key policy
objective of Uganda’s decentralization policy has been named as “empowerment of local
populations via democratization, participation, accountability, responsibility, efficiency and
effectiveness” for the long-term goal of improving conditions of life for the population.
However, the reality is that over time, implementation of decentralization has concentrated more
on administrative objectives as a means of promoting popular democracy and less on economic
transformation for poverty eradication (Constitution of the Republic Of Uganda. 1991).
However, despite problems associated with central delivery of services, the experience with
decentralization has been quite mixed especially in the western region (World Bank 2003; Burki
Perry 1999). While success or failure is difficult (and premature) to judge, some common
problems associated with decentralization’s impact on service delivery in Kabale municipal
council have begun to emerge. The most frequently cited problem is the lack of capacity at subnational
levels of government to exercise responsibility for public services. In Uganda, the lower
tier: of government lacked the ability to manage public finances and maintain proper accounting
procedures. Since these were a requirement for transferring money to the lower tiers, they
actually received less money than before decentralization. In Uganda, spending on primary
health care fell from 33 percent to 16 percent during decentralization (Akin Hutchinson, and
Strump 2001) that is the reason as to why in kigonji area in kabale district researchers found it
out that many children started getting married before the age of descent and still compared to
health services killed a very big number of citizens (Dillinger, 1999).
Description
A Research Proposal Submitted To the Faculty
Of Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment Of The
Requirements for the Award of a Bachelor’s
Degree of Public Administration At
Kampala International
University
Keywords
Decentralization, Service DeliverY